That’s the premise of Nick Spencer’s (Morning Glories, Thunder Agents, Thief of Thieves) new run on Secret Avengers. Joining the Marvel NOW! line, Secret Avengers #1 builds the extremely covert team of Hawkeye, Hulk, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Winter Soldier to send them on their mission. And it does it with only one word. Basically, every member of the team becomes activated by a single word, completes their mission, is told the word again, and walks off into the sunset blissfully ignorant of everything they just did. It’s covert ops at it’s most covert. And when it’s drawn by a master of the dark and gritty like Luke Ross, it’s practically so covert it’s not even there. Or if you want a little more boisterous version, maybe the Skottie Young variant cover will suit you.

As Magneto said, villains it is then.

Uncanny X-Men #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo is all about the baddies. Serving as the companion book to Bendis’ other X-Men title, All-New X-Men, Uncanny stars Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost, and a bunch of other good-for-nothings. Unlike any other X-Men book before it, this time around it’s the Brotherhood of (Evil) Mutants in the limelight. Now that Cyclops has assembled his team he’s on a mission to enact his vision of mutant dominance, one which he’s willing to carry out by whatever means necessary.

Since tonight’s list seems all about murdery murder, it seems only fair to let a female master assassin in on the mix. Katana #1, spinning out of the soon-to-be-released Justice League of America, stars the widowed sword-wielding hired killer of the same name. With her family’s souls residing in the very sword she uses to slay her enemies, the Soultaker, Katana has to be careful not to let its power and conscience forestall her mission. Anyone reading Birds of Prey should be familiar with Katana‘s character and mission, as well as fans of the classic Outsiders series.

Finally, for those who have been hanging on the edge of their seat since the release of the first New 52 Batman hardcover, the wait is over! Batman: Night of the Owls continues the onslaught of The Court as they descend on Gotham in an effort to purge it of the social elite. But Nightwing, Batgirl, Batman, Robin, and the rest of the Bat-Family may have something to say about that. This thick hardcover edition comes packed with the entire Court of the Owls crossover, which includes Batman #8-9, the Batman Annual, Detective Comics #9, Dark Knight #9, Batwing #9, Batman and Robin #9, Red Hood and the Outlaws #9, Birds of Prey #9, Batgirl #9, Nightwing #8-9, and All-Star Western #9. That’s a lot of Batman punching Talon action for a minimal price.

Banks may not be the most popular entities right now, but I’d wager a guess that they might earn a little more love if they all looked like last week’s Deadpool Bust Bank or this week’s Black Costume Spider-Man Bust Bank.

Occupy Spider-Man Bank just doesn’t seem as likely.

If you’ve been a comic reader for a while or know anything about Marvel comic history, you may have heard that The Defenders get laughed at a fair amount. To be fair, they were comprised of a rather unusual group of heroes (I mean, how the heck did Hulk, Dr. Strange, and Namor ever have anything to talk about?). However, as is the way with comics, everything that was made fun of can be serious again, which is the case with Matt Fraction‘s new Defenders #1. Starting up this week, the new take on the classic team is once again lead by the master of magic himself, Steven Strange, but also claims Namor, Iron Fist, Red She-Hulk, and Silver Surfer. Yes, another eclectic roster, but in Matt Fraction‘s hands that means good reading. Especially considering his run on the Immortal Iron Fist is one of the most exceptional comic runs in recent history. Add to all of that the fact that the team will be chasing down the new Black Hulk and you’ve got a recipe for insanity.

Another book that dredges up the hits of the past, polishes them off, and places them all shiny and new into your lap is Dynamite Comic‘s Voltron #1. The first thing you’ll notice about this book is the gorgeous painted cover by industry legend Alex Ross. As usual, Ross conveys childhood nostalgia with every stroke. Inside the book, you’ll find Ariel Padilla’s artwork to be equal parts colorful and explosive. Story-wise, the book pulls from all incarnations of Voltron to create a fresh take on the characters for new and old readers alike.

If you’ve been following the DCU Online Statue collection, you’ve likely noticed they’ve all been top quality sculpts of fan favorite characters. You’ve probably also noticed that the Joker has not been among the releases thus far. Well, this Wednesday, that changes.

Feast your eyes on the Crown Prince of Crime’s DCU Online Statue.

Just not too long, he’ll dose you in acid.

Okay, so you’re preparing for your holiday feast, getting the turkey cooked, the stuffing stuffed, the potatoes mashed, and the nog egged. Then you dip a cup into the bowl of eggnog, take a sip, and realize…something’s missing. Think. Think. Wait a tick, that’s it! The X-Men is what’s missing!

And that’s where the new Uncanny X-Men and Avengers Toon Tumbler Pint Glasses come in handy, adding that extra little spice of nerd that’s so desired in your holiday meal.

Here’s why you should pay attention to these words. Blair Butler, of the popular nerd news program Attack of the Show, is the writer of this book. This is her first foray into comics and, by certain accounts, she’s already keeping pace with the industry’s top talent. Speaking of top talent brings me to the next word on the list: Kevin Mellon. Kevin’s been a supporter of Pulp Fiction since our inception (and a collaborator with Dennis Hopeless), so we’ve been able to see, firsthand, how his work has progressed, now coming to a point of expert draftsmanship and storytelling excellence. This book appears to be the pinnacle of his recent superb work. Not only is the talent on the book exceptional, but the content is not the standard comic fare. Revolving around mixed martial arts fighting and the desire these athletes have to rise to the top, the book should peak the interest of any regular UFC viewer. That’s Heart, folks.

You’ve read Watchmen. You’ve read V for Vendetta. You’ve read From Hell. Where do you go next for your Alan Moore fix? League of Extraordinary Gentlemen would be the correct answer. Thankfully, DC has been generous enough to make it nice and easy for you by releasing a new omnibus edition of the first two volumes of LoEG. That means you just have to pick up one beautifully bound hardcover edition as opposed to two. How gentlemanly of them, right? What are these two volumes about, though? The general premise is that the British government is assembling a team of some of the literary world’s most famous characters (Alan Quartermaine, Mina Harker, Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo, you’ve seen the movie) to combat a sinister evil. And if you have seen the movie (I’m sorry), don’t be scared off. The book is so beyond comparison it’s rather embarrassing.

Christmas comes only once a November. Or, at least, that’s the case this year, thanks to Lee Bermejo‘s original graphic novel, Batman: Noel. Following the plot structure of A Christmas Carol, Noel takes Batman through a tour of his past, present, and future on a cold winter night. Most of you probably know Bermejo because of the Joker GN from a few years back. You probably also know that the guy draws Batman and his world with a style and design that no one can match, which makes him the perfect guy to write and draw a story about the character. And if you really want a sample of the book, check out the preview pages here.

Last weekWolverine got his time at the pulpit, so now it’s Cyclop‘s turn. The other key X-Men book in the relaunch, Uncanny X-Men, drops this Wednesday with Kieron Gillen at the helm and Carlos Pacheco in the artist seat. As Wolverine‘s book follows his team in New York, Uncanny X-Men sticks with Summers and his group of mutants (Magneto, Emma Frost, Colossus) on Utopia island in San Francisco. Gillen has been on this book since Matt Fraction left and has kept pace with the quality level he established. In fact, his tie-in arc to Fear Itself, where the team had to stall Juggernaut at San Fran’s borders, was one of the best tie-in books. Oh, and he’s writing a little book called Journey Into Mystery, which is one of the best reads at Marvel right now.

Follow Us!

Store Events!

Board Game Night Mailing List

Pulp Fiction has a mailing list to discuss tabletop games and schedule gaming in the Pulp Fiction game room, especially on Sunday game nights. To subscribe, send a blank message to pulp-gamers+subscribe@googlegroups.com - or visit this group here for more options.